Iraq’s Ambassador to the United States, Lukman Faily, has announced his retirement from the Iraqi Foreign Service. In a statement on the embassy’s website, Ambassador Faily said:
For the last three years, I had the honor of serving as Ambassador of The Republic of Iraq to the United States of America. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and generosity. Any success would not have been possible without this support. I would like to extend my warmest appreciation to all of you who have worked together with my staffs and I in promoting Iraqi-American bilateral and multi-lateral relations.
Iraq is going through tremendous and turbulent times ahead, your support is crucial for Iraq to be on the right track. Although the relationship between Iraq and USA are improving on many fronts, we need to keep focusing on improving communication between the two cultures via dialogue and increasing the two-way traffic between both capitals.
US-Iraqi partnership will develop and strengthen because we share democratic values and face together many major global challenges such as terrorism and Jihadist Salafism. We also now work closely with each other toward the shared interests in development of prosperity and stability to Iraq and our troubled region.
Three interesting and rewarding years for me following my earlier three years in Japan. This allowed me to further discover how the 50 states (comparable to countries) can work as one big massive machinery. The U.S. is an enormous country and it would be impossible to reach out to all States without the help and support of our two Iraqi Consulate Generals, Iraqi-American citizens and organizations, US veterans of Iraq (in uniform and civilian clothing) and enthusiastic US and Iraqi citizens who are all over USA.
Although I decided to leave the Iraqi Foreign Service, however I will keep trying, in my small way, to be another small bridge linking both countries and cultures. We need the US support and expertize but we also need to stay on the track on developing a strategic and long-term sustainable beneficial relationship between the two countries.
It is time for me to look for a new challenge and to explore options for other opportunities. My wife Lameis, my four boys and I enjoyed our time here in Washington DC and we will miss it for sure. We will cherish the many beautiful memories we have encountered during our short stay. The American people are generous, gracious and fair.
It is now time to move on and to reflect back on this three wonderful years, time did pass incredibly fast but important progress on bilateral relationship has been made, I pray for more to follow. Will look forward to keep in touch via my Facebook, Twitter pages and other methods of communications.
Thanks to the people of United States for the privilege of working and living here.
Yours truly and best wishes,
Regards,
Ambassador Lukman Faily